help needed with old closet door thumb turn latches....

melissastarFebruary 20, 2010

My old house has thumb turn latches on every closet and large cupboard door...most of them in disrepair, some of them missing and some replaced with what looks like more modern versions, in bright lacquered brass. I'd like to replace the bright ones with antique brass (or at least unlacquered brass) and replace or fix the old ones.

Problem is, I can't seem to find them anywhere in the U.S....in person or online. The thumb turn is oval and has a spline spindle (star shaped). It turns a simple tube mortised inside the door...no metal casing on either the door or the jamb side...a hole is simply hollowed out for the tube to slide through.

I have found on line something that LOOKS like it's the right thing...at British hardware sites. Called a thumb turn to operate a "rack " bolt. But the pictures I see of rack bolts are much more serious locks than the metal tube and hole operation I've got. And...I still can't seem to find them in anything but polished brass or chrome.